Centaurus - The Centaur

Below the stars of Hydra, the sea serpent,
and Scorpius,
the scorpion, you can find the half-man, half-horse creature,
Centaurus. He faces east holding a lance-like pole which he is using
to kill Lupus, the wolf standing in front of him.

Centaurus' brightest star (Alpha Centauri), is called
Toliman or Rigel Kentaurus. It's the third brightest star in the sky
and the closest star to the Sun. Alpha Centauri is really a triple
star: two components form a double star. The third component is a red
dwarf, more than 2 degrees away from the bright pair. It is called
Proxima Centauri (closest in Centaurus) because, of the three
components, it is the closest to Earth, about 4 light-years away.

Centaurus is home to Omega Centauri (NGC 5139), the brightest and
largest globular cluster in
the sky. It is visible to the naked eye as a faint smudge. It is one
of the closest globular clusters to Earth and contains more than a
million stars.

According to a Greek myth, it was Centaurus who first grouped the
stars into constellations. He also taught humans how to read the
sky. Centaurus placed a picture of himself in the sky to guide a
group of sailors called the Argonauts.

You might also be interested in:

What types of instructional experiences help K-8 students learn science with understanding? What do science educators teachers, teacher leaders, science specialists, professional development staff, curriculum designers, school administrators need to know to create and support such experiences?...more

Hydra is the longest constellation in the sky and is also the largest in terms of area. It is so long that it takes more than six hours to rise completely. Along its northern side, we can observe the zodiacal...more

More than any other constellation, Scorpius resembles its given name. If you live in the northern hemisphere of the Earth, Scorpius crawls across the southern sky, close to the horizon. But if you live...more

The constellation Ophiuchus is the Serpent Bearer. This large constellation can be seen in the night sky from June through October. Although most of the stars are dim, Ophiuchus' teapot shape makes it...more

Gemini is one of the more famous constellations. The Twins are best seen during the winter and spring in the Northern Hemisphere. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, look for Gemini in the summer....more

Sagittarius is a centaur, with the torso of a man atop the body of a horse. Unlike the wise and peaceful centaur Chiron (Centaurus), Sagittarius is aiming his giant bow at his neighbor, Scorpius. While...more

Bootes, the herdsman, rides through the sky during the late Spring and early Summer. While he may have appeared as a shepherd to the ancients, modern star-gazers like us can easily recognize the shape...more

The constellation Leo is known as the Lion. Leo's head and mane make up an upside-down question mark called the Sickle. One of the brightest spring stars, Regulus (Latin for "little king"), is at the base...more